Archive for the ‘dessert’ Category
|Coconut Oil, Star Fruit Cake, and Yoga
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
This Sunday Yoga on the Beach held a brunch in addition to a fabulous morning yoga class led by Céline. Class was great, the weather was beautiful and brunch was delicious. It was a perfect event to test out a fun new variation on my upside-down fruit cake. Here in Key West we are fortunate to get starfruit from a local grower, and it makes for such a beautiful cake! If you try this out, and are interested in making the starfruit upside-down cake dairy-free I replaced the yogurt in the recipe, with mashed avocado. It came out perfect!
If you have been following my blog, you will have noticed that I often use coconut oil in baking. I have been using coconut oil for a few years now, and definitely recommend that if you have not tried coconut oil yet, you should consider taking the leap. Coconut oil adds a sweet natural coconut flavor to baked goods, and you can use less of it than you would other oils or fats, therefore saving on the fat content of your sweet treat. It is also one of the few oils that maintains its quality at high heat so the quality of the food that you consume is also maintained. Don’t think that the benefits of coconut oil end there…check out Meghan Telpner’s blog to find out more.
When shopping for a coconut oil it is important to purchase a quality coconut oil that is unrefined, organic and extra virgin. I recently was fortunate enough to receive a sample of Tropical Traditions Extra Virgin Gold Label Coconut Oil. How exciting to receive a no-obligation sample of a product that I am so excited about! I tested out their extra virgin coconut oil in my starfruit cake and was very happy with how it came out. Everyone else at the brunch was pretty happy with it too!
Let me know if you get a chance to try out the Starfruit Cake yourself, and if you join the bandwagon of coconut oil lovers, I would love to hear about your experiences.
Tags: avocado, coconut oil
Posted in dairy free, dessert, fruit, gluten-free, vegetarian, wheat-free | 1 Comment »
Lemon Ginger Cookies
Monday, February 8th, 2010
These cookies quickly became a favorite in our household. I have been wanting to try baking with almond flour for months now and finally was able to test out some recipes when my partner bought me a bag of almond flour for Christmas. This may sounds sort of silly, but you will understand a little better knowing that almond flour costs $12.99/lb on our little island. Of course once my partner fell in love with the cookies, the cost of the flour was justified!
The inspiration for these cookies came from Elana’s Pantry recipe for Lemon Lavender Cookies. I have been admiring her recipes for months now, and was excited to try something out. Since I didn’t have all of the ingredients to replicate her recipe, I made modifications, and am pretty happy with the results. The ginger and chocolate are a really nice mix too!
Tags: almond flour, chocolate, ginger, lemon
Posted in alternative grain, cookies, dairy free, dessert, egg-free, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, wheat-free | 4 Comments »
Anniversary, Makeover and Truffles!
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
Happy Anniversary Well Being in the Kitchen!
Raw Cacao Truffles
It is officially 1 year to the day that I wrote my first recipe on this blog and I am loving it. Looking back at this past year I have had the pleasure of sharing some of my favorite recipes with you like Falafel (2 Ways), Gluten-Free Pizza, and Nectarine Upside-Down Cake. More importantly this blog has inspired me to test out new recipes and share them with pride like the Roasted Vegetable Tart, and the Cornicopia Rolls. Best of all, I was able to share my travels with you too, as I explored the markets, fairs and restaurants of Europe. I feel very fortunate to have had such a wonderful “foodie” year!
I am also excited to unveil the new “look” of Well Being in the Kitchen. I have been wanting to personalize the style of the site for a while now, and finally found a little pocket of time to “renovate”. As a designer, you can bet that this is only the beginning. I am sure there will be more tweaks and touches to come…but I hope you find the design welcoming!
Lastly, in celebration of my anniversary, you might have noticed that I made some truffles. I have been experimenting with raw cacao in the past few days which has been great fun, and voila, truffles! They are super easy to make, have no added sugars, and even have a little kick! I hope you get a chance to try them out too.
Tags: cacao, coconut, dates, walnuts
Posted in dairy free, dessert, egg-free, gluten-free, indulgent, vegan, vegetarian, wheat-free | 5 Comments »
Passion Fruit Pudding
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010
Sunday in Key West.
It brightens my morning to start off with Yoga on the Beach at Fort Zach. Since it was a little chilly this morning (58 degrees) Céline warmed us up with the 5 Tibetans (yoga) and kept us going with sun salutations to greet the morning sun.
Next we headed in search of vibrant sustenance. It has become a tradition for us to go to the Help Yourself Farmer’s Market after yoga on Sundays. I am so appreciative that they have brought this market to the island, because Key West has really been missing a great source of fresh, organic foods. Personally I just love the atmosphere of farmer’s markets. Charlie, the owner, has created a beautiful setting of fresh produce, smiling faces and acoustic music.
The tropical fruits were what caught my eye this time, and I am excited to share a recipe that I created from these sweet treats. Passion fruit, start fruit, and avocado star in this delicious, and naturally sweet pudding.
Tags: avocado, banana, coconut oil, passion fruit, star fruit
Posted in breakfast, dairy free, dessert, egg-free, fruit, gluten-free, indulgent, vegan, vegetarian, wheat-free | 4 Comments »
Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Monday, November 16th, 2009
Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Stress has gotten the better of me. Big changes are coming, the unknown is all around me, and overwhelm seems to be a common term in my vocabulary these days.
I find in situations like these, when my emotions get the better of me, my cravings for all sorts of foods come alive. Isn’t it convenient that when we are stressed and overwhelmed, we often do not have the time to cook healthy meals and provide balanced nourishment for ourselves?
Well I have been quite aware of my cravings lately and successfully resisted bringing home a pint of ice cream last night, but I did get some supplies from Trader Joe’s and the local health food store so that I would be able to make some yummy gluten-free cookies for myself. If I am going to indulge, I prefer to indulge knowing that my treats were made with quality ingredients and love.
I decided to take my Key West Cookie Creation recipe and try a new spin. I love these cookies and vary the recipe often, but this time I was inspired to try ground pecans as the flour! Wow! They were great. I don’t think they are going to last long, which is good because I look forward to making them again to fine-tune the recipe. They need a little more grip, but otherwise are absolutely delicious. If you try out the recipe, be sure to let me know what you think.
Tags: agave, almond butter, apple sauce, chocolate, oats, pecans
Posted in cookies, dessert, egg-free, gluten-free, indulgent, vegetarian, wheat-free | 3 Comments »
Nectarine Upside-Down Cake
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
C. loves this recipe and I am sure she is going to be quite surprised that I made it with nectarines, and have created a gluten-free version too! In Key West we would make this every so often with fresh mangoes which we were fortunate to have occasional access to on the island. The original recipe was another discovery when I was going through my Vegetarian Times Magazine phase. This time in making it, I decided to be adventurous and try out alternative sweets, oils and flours for the open-minded chef. Be sure to try this out…it was sooooo good!
Tags: buckwheat flour, nectarine, oat flour, yogurt
Posted in alternative grain, dessert, fruit, gluten-free, indulgent, vegetarian, wheat-free | 7 Comments »
Apologies and Fudge
Friday, July 3rd, 2009
I can’t believe over a month has passed since the last time a shared a recipe and story. I have been yearning to share more recipes, and have definitely been cooking a lot, but the elements have not been coming together for blogging. As some of you know, I have relocated to Cape Cod for the summer, and have definitely been going through some serious adjustment time. I feel like everything has been uprooted…not just my living situation…so I am in the process of finding my feet again.
One great opportunity that has arisen for me is to be able to be a personal chef for my grandparents. I am creating a variety of dishes for them once per week to supplement their meals. This is rewarding on so many levels. I am able to be creative in the kitchen, as they are open to whatever I want to create, and I am offering them love through my creations (nutritional sustenance which is easy to digest). I have even been surprised at how pleased my grandfather has been with the meals considering that he has a very strong opinion!
I am looking forward to sharing some of these new dishes here on my blog, and hope that you will enjoy them too! In the meantime I wanted to share a delicious recipe for Frozen Fudge that my friend recently posted on her blog. This vegan/raw fudge is amazing…even my grandfather loved it! I tried a version of the Frozen Fudge with almond butter instead of cashew butter, and it was wonderful (I just made a second batch tonight). Be sure to scroll over to Shak-Shuka.com to see what other great recipes, eco-friendly suggestions, and lifestyle tips she has to share.
Posted in dairy free, dessert, egg-free, gluten-free, indulgent, vegan, vegetarian, wheat-free | No Comments »
Berries and Oat Pie
Saturday, April 18th, 2009
Berries and Oat Pie
I first became inspired to have a “food blog” after finding some amazing examples online. One of the top examples that I have enjoyed subscribing to is the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. Her recipes are beautiful and so are her photos. A perfect combination for me. Every so often I would bookmark her recipes for future adventures, and one day I tested out her Blueberry Oat Bars. They look amazing and I was excited by the ease of the recipe and the results were great. I did have a little trouble spreading the top layer of oats, and found the bottom layer a little too soft, so I decided the next time that I would try a different technique to see how it would come out. I have to say that I am pretty happy with the results, and want to thank Susan V. for the beautiful recipe and creative inspiration.
I decided to let the bottom layer of oats cook in the oven for a little while on its own in order to crisp up a little and rolled out the top layer more like a pie crust. Since I didn’t have a square pan, I also ended up making this in a pie plate…and surprisingly turned out quite like a pie. I definitely suggest trying out the recipe yourself, it is quite easy, whether you follow her recipe or my variation, and you could even just make the fruit filling and have it with ice cream, dairy-free ice cream or even fresh cut bananas.
Tags: blueberry, oatmeal, strawberry
Posted in dairy free, dessert, egg-free, fruit, indulgent, vegan, vegetarian, wheat-free | 2 Comments »
A Key West Cookie Creation
Friday, February 6th, 2009
Cashew Oat Cookies basking in the sun
We are back from our Key West vacation, and were happy to find that it is actually warmer in Boulder than it was when we left Key West! It was a nice chance to visit with family and see a few friends, but I realized that my love for cooking and my desire to feed my body with nourishing foods set me up for a vacation full of grocery shopping and cooking. Lets just say between the cooler weather and my time in the kitchen, I did not come home with a tan.
I did however come up with a great new recipe for oatmeal cookies. Improvising from a basic cookie recipe that I had, and using what was available in the house, I came up with these delicious Cashew Oat Cookies which are full of many other yummy ingredients.
(Although I did not make them with gluten free oats, those of you who eat only gluten free could easily use the gluten free version.)
Tags: applesauce, cashews, chocolate, oatmeal, raisins
Posted in cookies, dessert, egg-free, gluten-free, indulgent, vegetarian, wheat-free | 3 Comments »